High Court acquits Chirumanzu CCC activists – Newsday Zimbabwe

Judge Ainsley Zisengwe, sitting at the High Court in Masvingo, has granted Cheza’s application for review against the refusal of dismissal by Gweru magistrate Beaulity Dube.

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday this week acquitted Chirumanzu South candidate for the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in the August 2023 elections Patrick Cheza and four party activists accused of assaulting Zanu PF lawmaker and Tourism and Hospitality Minister, Barbara Rwodzi.

Justice Ainsley Zisengwe, sitting at the High Court in Masvingo, has granted Cheza’s application for review against the refusal of dismissal by Gweru magistrate Beaulity Dube.

Dube had refused to discharge Cheza and his co-defendants at the end of the state case and the activists’ lawyers, Esau Mandipa and Leopold Mudisi, approached the higher court for a review of the lower court’s decision.

Cheza (50) was charged with inciting public violence together with CCC activists Elias Maduveko (26), Magmaster Chidyawuye (21), Delight Zinyemba (22) and Courage Mugova (20).

It was alleged that Cheza incited CCC members to beat up Rwodzi after his vehicle was involved in an accident with a car belonging to the Minister of Tourism.

However, during the trial, Rwodzi admitted that Cheza had not attacked nor had she seen any of the suspects hit her.

It was alleged that on August 24 last year, Cheza was driving along the Charandura-Chaka dust road when he encountered a road accident involving his car and another driven by Chengetai Rwodzi, son of Barbara Rwodzi.

Further allegations were that when Cheza arrived at the scene of the accident, he allegedly used insulting language against the minister, demanding to know why she wanted to kill CCC supporters when she had just won the harmonized elections.

Cheza, it was alleged, ordered the four activists to attack Rwodzi.

The activists denied the allegations during the trial, claiming they never attacked the Zanu PF lawmaker.

They said they were politically victimized.

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